CD Giveaway - Sam Shrieve, "Bittersweet Lullabies"
Ends Nov 29, 2009
The current student at Berklee College of Music has a rock 'n' roll pedigree, but delivers a pleasing and diverse collection of soft pop on his debut record. Enter our contest for your chance to win!
The Twilight Saga: New Moon Prize Pack
Ends Nov 29, 2009
The second installment of the Twilight saga is hitting theaters, and we've got the stylish goodies you'll howl over!
Release Date: October 11, 2005 Label: Drive-Thru Records Grade: B
Before the Blackout is the third full-length release for Chicago's Allister, who have spent a little more than 7 years on Drive-Thru Records, anchoring the label into the twenty-first century. Almost ten years ago, the band started with Tim Rogner singing, Skippy Mueller on bass, and Johnny Hamada playing guitar. After undergoing several lineup changes over the years (Rogner is the only remaining original member), Allister settled on their current configuration. With their drummer as well as their guitarist (Tim's brother Chris) leaving post-Last Stop Suburbia, Allister scrambled to plug the holes. After listening to their latest effort, there's an added dimension to the band's musical ability. They have risen to the challenge with Before the Blackout.
"A Study in Economics," which falls late in the album, is a little vintage Allister mixed with some of Green Day's homicidal tendencies. Shout along at the top of your lungs as the punks of the world unite in rebellion...or just enjoy this fun song in the same spirit. A growling bass line and potent drumming along with some surprisingly thoughtful lyrics help accelerate this track to the forefront of Before the Blackout. In the same theme of hooky, melodic punk, "A Lotta Nerve" should keep the band's old fans happy. The chorus repetition gets a bit much as the song draws out, but the track itself is instrumentally a kick in the teeth. "From the Ground Up" seems to capitalize on the missteps of its predecessor.
I wasn't too impressed with the first two tracks on the album, "Waiting" and "Dē." They're probably the best showcase of the "new," more mature Allister, and frankly, it take some getting used to. "Waiting" is noticeably rougher than anything you have probably heard out of this band before. Lyrically, these songs are relatively strong, and the instruments powerful, but they just may not draw you in as some of their other songs can.
With "Rewind" and "2 A.M.," Allister sticks with the upbeat, passive-aggressive punk rock they do best. The former is a balls to the wall track that screams Last Stop Suburbia with a little more focus on the vocals and less on the anthemic guitar riffs. With the latter, Allister is less upbeat, but the song equates to the ballads off their previous albums. Fans looking for a complete departure from their old sound will probably be disappointed with the number of tracks that fall into the same "we've heard this before" category as "Rewind" and "2 A.M."
"The Legend of Pegleg Sullivan" is one of those fun, nonsensical songs that Allister loves to include on their albums to keep the fans honest (see the unparalleled "Fraggle Rawk" on Dead Ends and Girlfriends). Sure, there's a message in there, but the imagery included on the song borders on comical. It plays off as a parody of the great Chicago fire, but if they wanted to make it a touching song, they would have done so. This is just crazy punk rock at heart. To end the album, "Potential Suicide" goes back to the 2005 Allister. The drums seem a bit underproduced (the crashes could really be louder), and the vocals are routinely lackluster when combined with the instruments, although the lyrics are above average. This isn't the greatest end to an album, but Before the Blackout is still the band's best album yet.
Whether you enjoy Allister's latest work depends partly on whether you previously liked the band. There isn't enough electric material here to draw in new fans of the band unless you're pretty open-minded. However, if you previously liked them, you should take note of their refined maturity and how it makes its way into the music. It's a big leap thematically from Last Stop Suburbia, but Before the Blackout may have some trouble clawing its way into an already packed genre.
Track Listing
01. Waiting
02. Dē
03. A Lotta Nerve
04. From the Ground Up
05. Blackout
06. Rewind
07. 2 A.M.
08. You Lied
09. A Study in Economics
10. Suffocation
11. Easy Answers
12. The Legend of Pegleg Sullivan
13. Potential Suicide
14. Alone
Band/Album Information
Tim Rogner (Vocals, Guitar)
Kyle Lewis (Guitar)
Scott Murphy (Bass)
Mike Leverence (Drums)
Producer: Dennis Hill (Vertigo)
